Dismal Angel Episode 26: The End of Us
by AngelExposed
Summary: The LAST episode ever. Rogue still isn't letting go of the past, and Remy wants to leave his completely, but something is about to happen that will change everything forever. (finished r&r LAST EPISODE)
1. Chapter 1: Sparks

Chapter 1: Sparks

             Rogue had dozed off again, and it hadn't been the first time that day she had.  However it was the first time she'd dozed off in the library during study period and felt her head slam hard against the table.

             Her eyes shot open, and she looked around a little panicked, confused at first as to what happened, she heard Kitty laughing softly, though Kitty wasn't glancing in her direction, Rogue got the distinct impression Kitty was laughing at her.

             "You did it again," Kitty said after a moment, she was using a large eraser to completely remove a sentence from some notes she was writing.

             Rogue yawned, she glanced at her watch, they'd been sitting in the library for only half an hour, she sighed, an hour and a half to go before she could get out of there and try and get some sleep.  Exhaustion felt as if it were pulling her down harder than gravity.  "I'd be fine if it weren't for that stupid training session," she kept her voice low, knowing there were too many other students in the room to overhear.

             "Serves you right for staying up until one-thirty am," Kitty stuck her tongue out, "you knew you had a danger room session at six."

             Rogue yawned again and stretched a little, "I forgot, alright?"

             Kitty smirked, "yeah, I suppose with all the distraction you had with your date it slipped your mind completely."

             "And what's that supposed to mean?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

             Kitty smirked, "not a thing…so what did you guys do last night?" 

             Rogue scratched the back of her neck absently, "we saw Matrix Revolutions, went for dinner, and came home…"

             "You guys were still out at eleven," Kitty said, "I went to bed at eleven and you guys still weren't home."

             "Oh…" Rogue trailed off, she thought for a moment, "oh, yeah, we went to the cemetery."

             "Jesus, I'm glad I'm not dating you, is that the goth idea of fun?  Going to cemeteries on dates?" Kitty chewed the end of her pencil.

             "We were visiting Gabrielle."

             "Oh…" Kitty suddenly felt quite guilty for having made fun of the cemetery comment.  "Sorry…that was rude."

             Rogue shrugged, "Y'know, Remy is still pretty cut up about Gabrielle…never really got over it."

             "Who would expect him to?" Kitty said.

             "No one, I guess," Rogue yawned a little once again.  

             "So…how do you think the date went?  I mean, judging by the little thing going on in the rec room at one-thirty this morning, I'm guessing things are PRETTY good," Kitty kept her voice low, she talked from the side of her mouth so that even the other students around couldn't read her lips.

             "We're makin' a lot of progress, yes," Rogue blushed furiously.  

             "Is it just me or is Remy different lately?" Kitty tapped the end of her pencil upon her bottom teeth thoughtfully.

             "Different how?" Rogue dabbed at the corner of her eye to remove a sleep crust.

             "I don't know," Kitty went back to writing notes, "Just different.  Haven't you noticed?"

             "He's been…a lot more reserved lately," Rogue shrugged, "don't know why…last night he was kind of shy, which is strange because I always figured when it came to…y'know…"

             "Sex," Kitty replied.

             "Yeah…I always thought that when it came to that he'd be…more forward…I mean when I first met him, he was all makin' comments and smart assed about sex, actin' like there wasn't nothing he didn't know or that nothin' would make take a red face," she explained, "but…last night…it was kind of nice…" she shrugged, "seein' him so bashful made me feel like I wasn't bein' so stupid feelin' so nervous the way I was…" Rogue chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, "do you think I'm different?"

             "Everyone knows you're different.  The stuff you've been wearing lately doesn't exactly hide it, does it?" Kitty reminded.

             Rogue scratched the tip of her nose thoughtfully, "what's wrong with it?"

             "It's just not you…"

             "Feels like me," Rogue shrugged.

             "Oh come on, the Rogue I knew was a bit more inhibited and withdrawn than you've been lately," Kitty reminded.  "You saunter around in tiny little corsets with your boobs bulgin' out, outfits that you'd need two hair-dos to wear, if you know what I mean…it's not exactly appealing.  It's kind of intimidating," Kitty tucked her hair behind her ear, "and so unlike you."

             Rogue gave a nonchalant shrug, it was something she didn't really understand herself, but it didn't bother her as much as it seemed to bother Kitty, or Remy for that matter.  "Remy seems to think the same thing."

             "When Remy starts seeing your outfits as intimidating and overly sexy, I'd say its time to worry…" Kitty smirked.

             "Speak…of…the…devil," Rogue whispered, she glanced up, Remy had sauntered into the room, a rather large stack of books balanced in his arms.

             Remy didn't look tired at all, Rogue realised he had probably slept until noon.  He looked well rested, his fiery eyes bright, his hair shiny, his skin emitting a healthy glow.  His movement was more free of pain than usual.

             Kitty raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Remy looks a million bucks today…gee, I WONDER why," she teased.

             Rogue nudged her, "ssssssh," she whispered.

             Remy began filing books away in alphabetical order, he glanced over his shoulder at Rogue and Kitty momentarily, flashing a grin, then going back to what he was doing.

             "I need a dictionary," Rogue lied, getting up.

             "Sure you do.  You need a dictionary for maths homework," Kitty giggled.

             Rogue stuck her tongue out at her friend and headed towards Remy, who was several feet away from the table, on the other side of the very large library, she brushed her hand against his back as she approached.  "Hey."

             "Bonjour, ma cherie," He smiled, never glancing back to her, he placed a book on a high shelf.

             "How's your back?"

             "Feelin' a lot better today, actually," he replied, "how did the training session go this morning?" he asked casually.

             "I was half asleep and flew into a wall," Rogue replied, chewing her lip.

             Remy stifled a laugh with his hand, but composed himself, "sorry…" he apologised.  "Is Kitty bothering you with stupid questions?  Sure looked like it."

             "What do you expect, she's my best friend, she expects to know everything," Rogue leaned against a shelf, "What are all these books?"

             "Just came in…Shakespeare, Bronte, Dumas…" he gestured to the large pile, "my guess is someone's gonna get to be asked to do book reports soon," he shrugged.

             Rogue realised a lot of eyes were on them both, Rogue pulled her black cardigan tighter around herself, concealing her rather revealing corset top, "Remy, can I ask you something?" she asked quietly.

             "Oui," He looked at her puzzled, then went back to stacking books.

             "The way I dress…is it too much?"

             Remy paused, "If I answer that are you going to bite my head off and dump me or something?" he asked concernedly, he swept his hair away from his face, half of his brown hair – which hung in touselled layers – was hanging out a very untidy ponytail.  

             "Just answer the damn question, swamprat," Rogue rolled her dark green eyes, she folded her arms.

             "Yes, chere, I think its too much.  It's not like you," he admitted, "You used to cover up everythin'…now you're showin' everything…" he kept a low voice. 

"Hey, I wasn't the one naked in the shower," Rogue reminded with a smirk, she kept her voice low so no one could possibly overhear.

Remy smirked a little, "lets keep that discussion for private rendezvous later, eh?" he winked, " Why are you askin' about this way you dressin' now thing?  Is someone giving you a hard time about it?" he asked, "want me to go beat them up?  I could stick a charged up card down their underwear…it wouldn't blow anything up but it'd sure hurt."

             "No…its not that," Rogue smirked a little at the thought, "its just one of Kitty's little concerns, and you know how I have to take her seriously or she gets all over dramatic and pouty."

             Remy finished stacking the books, "Well, I gotta go…" he glanced at his watch, "if Storm catches me in here talkin' to you, she'll complain forever like she usually does…" 

             "What are you two talking about now?" Kitty had made her way over.

             Remy smirked at Kitty, "we're talking about how we're going to assassinate you…it'll probably be in your sleep…maybe suffocation with a nice pillow…or, uhm…maybe just shoot you in the head."

             "Nice talk, and you call yourself a friend," Kitty went to swat his bare arm, she jerked back with a gasp, her blue eyes wide, her expression agape.

             "What is it?" Remy looked at her confusedly, Rogue seemed just as perplexed.

             "I got an electric shock," Kitty shrugged, "must be the carpet," she glanced down to the carpet and dragged her left foot along it.

             Rogue frowned a little, she remembered a similar incident from the night before.

             Remy glanced down to the carpet as well, but the look on his face indicated he was beginning to think along the same lines of Rogue, that something strange was going on.  "I…better go," he flashed a bright smile, "I'll see you girls later," he gave a gracious bow, and left the room.

             Rogue waited until Remy had completely left the room before she spoke to Kitty, "that happened last night…when me and Remy were taking a walk after dinner…"

             "What happened?" Kitty asked, she glanced at the new books that had been brought in by Remy.

             "The spark…" Rogue said, "I think somethin' is goin' on with his powers, but he acted like it was probably just static electricity or something."

             "It probably was," Kitty shrugged, "I think you're reading too much into this."

             "What if his powers are about to go haywire…he could blow this whole mansion up."

             "No way," Kitty raised an eyebrow, "the bigger the object, the longer it takes to charge up, it'd take him weeks to build up enough power to blow this place up."

             "But if his powers are growing…"

             "You have no proof.  You're overreacting because of a little electric shock," Kitty headed back to the table.

             Rogue realised Kitty may be right, "Yeah…maybe you're right…maybe."


	2. Chapter 2: MD and RL

Chapter 2: M.D. and R.L.

             Remy had dozed off peacefully on the couch in the recreation room when he felt something brush the tip of his nose lightly, he sniffed and brushed his hand against his nose, figuring it might just be a bug, and he rolled over onto his side slightly, intent on sleeping more.

             Again a soft sensation touched his nose, this time starting from the bridge of his nose and down to between his nostrils, down past his lips and then along to his cheek, he recoiled, yawning, and smacked his face, "damn bug," he muttered, hoping that he'd just killed whatever it was that was bothering him.

             Light merry giggling soon informed him that whatever had been bothering him, certainly hadn't been a bug, he cracked one eye open, Rogue was leaning over him, a feather between her fingers.

             He pouted, "I was sleeping."

             "Lazy assed Cajun," Rogue smirked, "you're taking up the whole couch," she sat on his legs.

             "Ow, jesus, you put on weight?" he tried to kick her off, Rogue reacted by pressing down harder on his legs.

             "Take that back!" Rogue giggled.

             "No."

             "Take it back!"

             Remy pulled himself up as much as he could and tried to forcefully push her off of him, they both tumbled to the floor, "ow…my back," he winced.

             Rogue chewed her lip, "woops, sorry."

             "It's fine," Remy assured, he pulled himself up from the floor, grabbed Rogue's arm and hauled her up, "I take it you just finished study period," he said, he glanced around, the other students were beginning to pour into the room.

             "Yeah," Rogue nodded, "fell asleep three times."

             "Why don't you go take a nap?" Remy queried, he gave a yawn himself.

             "If I do that I'll sleep ages and then I'll not get to sleep tonight and the whole thing will go haywire, I'll end up screwin' up my whole sleeping pattern," she explained, matter-of-factly.

             "Ohh, so instead of sleepin', you figured you'd come bug me and not let me sleep either."

             "Absolutely," Rogue took his hand, "c'mon, we'll go for a walk."

             Remy made a face, "Chere, its like below zero out there today."

             "Don't exaggerate."

             "Okay, its not below zero, but its still pretty damn cold," Remy let her haul him out of the recreation room, into the foyer, "am I not even allowed to go grab my coat?" he asked.

             "You're such a big baby," Rogue smirked.

             Soon, the two were outside in the yard, walking hand in hand, their breaths misting against the cold air, hair swaying in the cold November breeze.

             "So peaceful today," Remy commented, softly.

             Rogue glanced around, he was right, the trees were barely stirring in the wind, the grass barely rippled, even the lake on the grounds seemed still.  "Yeah…everything is so…still, even the trees…"

             "Who said I was talkin' about trees?" Remy smirked a little, they approached the small woodland area, the darkness growing around them, the last light of the sun chased away by winter.

             Rogue gave a tiny "oh," and blushed.

             Remy let go of her hand and absently ran his hand along a nearby rather thick tree branch, moss soft under his fingers, "seems like lately all we did was fight, seems nice to just be…totally at peace with each other, for now," he smiled a little, he sat on the branch, pressing his back against the trunk, he took a pack of cards out of his pocket and began to shuffle them idly.

             Rogue looked at him, "Don't expect it to last, it never does, does it?  We always have something to fight about," she said broodingly.

"Sometimes I think those fights fuel our passion for each other," Remy grinned, "it's always nice to make up after a big fight."

Rogue reached into her pocket, yanking out a Swiss Army Knife, Remy recognised it as being his – the same one she'd fought out of his hand two nights previously.  "This…is yours," she walked over slowly, holding it out to him.

             Remy took it from her, he handed her the cards, "here, hold these."

             "Why?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

             Remy pulled the largest knife free of the casing on the knife, and he located a tree with a very smooth trunk, he dug the knife into the trunk.

             "Remy, what are you doing to that tree?"

             "Messin'," he replied.

             "So…any idea why Kitty got an electric shock from you?" Rogue asked, she tried to shuffle the cards she was holding, but she'd never been particularly good with playing cards. 

             "Because of the carpet, Chere," he said, "that's what she gets for wearing cheap plastic shoes," Remy shrugged.  As far as he was concerned, the sparks meant absolutely nothing, why should it?  Just sheer coincidences, people got electric shocks from each other all the time, didn't they?

             Rogue watched him engrave an 'M' into the tree, she raised an eyebrow, "Kitty doesn't wear cheap plastic shoes…just ugly expensive leather ones," Rogue said, "And Sketchers, ugh, I could just gag."

             Remy smirked a little, "well, whatever."

             Rogue stepped up behind him and shoved the deck of cards she'd been holding into his left hip pocket.

             Remy glanced over his shoulder at her, the light was fading quickly, he wanted to try and finish what he was doing to the tree before it was too dark to continue, but how could he take his eyes off of Rogue to when she looked at him in the way she was.

             She was smiling, and blushing, and she looked away, as if remembering the previous nights escapades once again, the memories seethed inside of him, bringing his own cheeks a pinkish flush that luckily was hidden in the evening dark.  He went back to engraving her initials into the tree.

             Rogue wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek in between his shoulderblades, she gave a contented sigh.  

             "Happy?"

             "Can't think of when I've been happier," Rogue admitted.

             Remy smirked to himself, "last night, I would assume, would have been at the top of the happy list," he carved a small heart into the tree skilfully, "damn Kitty Pryde," he said.

             Rogue laughed softly, "Kitty is like the best friend with the worst timing," she commented, "Honestly I could have killed her…why is it every time I seem to be getting somewhere really personal with you she has to walk in and spoil it?"

             "Maybe that's her plan, to stop you from havin' your wicked way," Remy began to carve his own initials now.

             Rogue hugged him from behind, "if that's what's deemed as wicked then the ideas that were racin' through my head last night must mean I'm surely goin' to hell," she smirked.

             Remy continued to carve, "one persons hell is another persons heaven," he finished up, and ran his fingers along the letters he'd carved, "there…" he stepped back to admire it.  M.D. carved beside a heart, his initials R.L. besides.

             Rogue stood on her tiptoes, looking over his shoulder at the tree, "sweet…it's a shame you had to mutilate that tree though just to say you love me, when you could have just saved it and spared the tree…" she giggled.

             "Oh, well, you know me, a flair for the over dramatic," he turned around in her arms, he let out a breath, watching the air mist from him having done so, "getting colder out."

             "Do you care?"

             "Not really," he shrugged, "never been one for the cold though."

             "Remy…does last night change everything?" Rogue suddenly asked, her expression becoming worried.

             "No…of course it doesn't…" Remy looked at her, "well, okay, maybe it changes some things…certainly made things a little closer between us, but it doesn't mean it's something that has to happen all the time…or…" he looked for the words, "it doesn't mean we're obligated in that way," he ensured.

             Rogue held onto his arms, looking away, "Jared used to try and pressure me about sex all the time…seemed like every time he was around me he was flaunting those little blue pills," she said, her voice trembling.

             "Now why you have to bring up his name?" Remy made a face, "Chere, he's gone, he was gone so fast he could have given Quicksilver a run for his money," he said.

             "I did care about him though, Remy…" Rogue moved away, "And I'm sorry I have to tell you – and remind you of that – but its true…"

             Remy sighed, he folded his bare arms against the cold, his flesh beginning to prickle uncomfortably, he watched her, an inexplicable cold feeing began to sink in, as if ice was jumping around in his stomach.

             "It's like when me and Jared were dating…and the subject of you came up," she admitted, "I had to tell him…I couldn't just shut those feelings off…love doesn't work that way.

             Dug the heel of his boot into the dirt, hoping just the force he was putting into it might vent some of his anger out, "love?"

             "Well…I still loved you when I was with Jared."

             "Do you love Jared now that you're with me?" Remy asked incredulously.

             Rogue spun around, her eyes wide, "Remy!  Don't start getting all worked up, I care for him, the same way you probably care for Bella Donna in your own twisted little ways."

             Remy clenched his fists, "Y'know what…I'm not getting into this argument," he took a deep breath, holding his hands up to the air, "I'm not," he turned.  "I'm sick of arguing…and always being wrong, and always apologising."

"What was it you said about 'fighting fuels our passion'?" Rogue tried to joke, but Remy didn't find it the least bit funny. 

Remy stood leaning against a tree, his expression broody, his arms folded stubbornly, kicked dirt and stones nearby out of frustration, he couldn't believe she was starting fights already, every time it felt as if he might be getting somewhere with her, it seemed this happened.  He'd fought with her more than he'd ever fought with anyone in his life.

Rogue walked over, "I thought we could be honest with each other…"

"There's being honest, and then there's telling people stuff they don't want to hear," Remy sighed, "why can't you just let go of the past, forget it all…you cling onto the past like its some precious memento.  Only it isn't…its dangerous, that's what it is," he glanced over his shoulder at her frowning, his fiery eyes slightly glowing in the expanding darkness.

Rogue looked down to the ground sheepishly, when he looked at her that way she felt foolish, and childlike, and almost transparent.  She could find no words to explain herself.

"I'm going back inside, I'll catch you later," he muttered, then left quickly, the sound of his feet shuffling over the forest floor echoing off until no longer audible.

Rogue sighed, "He'll cool down," she told herself sternly, and decided she'd best go inside too.


	3. Chapter 3: You're Not Leaving

Chapter 3:  You're Not Leaving

             Rogue stepped into Remy's bedroom later on that night, it was late, and she was exhausted, but she'd forced herself to at least go to apologise to the man before she had the sense to go to bed and catch up on the sleep she'd missed from the previous night.  Remy was sitting at his desk, smoking, he was reading through some papers there flat on the desk apparently, his head bent over them in deep concentration, even with his back turned Rogue could tell he was reading them carefully.  His long coat was trailing on the floor, hanging on the back of the chair in a careless fashion.

             "Remy?" Rogue knocked on the door, which had been hanging slightly ajar, she'd pushed it gently, hearing the soft squeak of the hinges that were obviously badly in need of oiling.  

             Remy didn't look up from his papers, the cigarette wedged between two fingers, a build up of ash growing upon its tip.  Rogue didn't wait for his reply, she wandered over slowly, she placed both hands on his shoulders.

             "I'm sorry for earlier," she murmured softly, she squeezed his shoulders a little, hoping this would give him some form of comfort if he should still be brooding about their fight earlier that evening.

             "Forget about it, I have," he sighed, he rubbed his forehead, he leaned back a little, her hands still upon his muscular shoulders, "I snapped, I'm just a bit tense," he tapped the end of a pen absently upon the desk near where the papers he'd been reading were.

             "What are those?" Rogue asked, she leaned over a little, glancing at them.

             "Divorce papers, I need to sign them, giving them one more quick check over before I do…" he said, he stretched a little.

             "How long will it take before divorce is final?" Rogue asked, she reached over and picked up the papers to overlook them, the text on them seemed to be a confusing drone of senseless information she couldn't begin to understand. 

             "I've been promised three months," Remy replied, he sighed, "But you know lawyers, its probably gonna take nine," he stubbed the cigarette out in a nearby gaudy ashtray that had a naked woman painted in the centre.   Remy watched the smoke still rising from the ashtray from the stubbed out cigarette.

             Rogue sat on the edge of the desk so that she was looking down and facing him, "why'd you keep putting it off?" she asked.

             "I don't know.  I guess I don't want it dragged through the court about Genevieve, there are people in New Orleans who don't even know, Chere, and word travels fast…"

             "I don't understand…why is it a big deal about dragging it through the court?" Rogue folded her arms casually, she crossed one leg over the other.

             Remy looked at her, "It'll all come out in court about her bein' what she is…" he explained carefully, "it could cause A LOT of problems…not just for me, but for her."

             "Why for her?"

             "Well, if it comes out in court that she is what she is and that I never even slept with her…well, marriage isn't really binding and all that – you know if you don't consummate the marriage it can be annulled, right?  If the marriage is annulled then technically she isn't entitled to a green card, she'd be deported."

             "Oh…so what about you?"

             "I have to stand up in court and admit I knew I was married to someone who has a bigger pair of balls than I do!" Remy frowned, "that kind of thing is bound to mess up my reputation for sure…" he trailed off, "and then the rumours will start that I'm queer or something like that," he rolled his eyes.

             "Your reputation is already messed up," Rogue smirked a little, "what does it matter if people think you're 'queer'?" she asked, "You know you're not," she chewed her lip, "and I most definitely know you're not," she smirked.

             "It'd disgrace my family," Remy stated, "and the guild."

             "Everything you do disgraces them according to you, Remy, what's one more thing?  Besides, you said you'd washed your hands of it all," she said with a yawn, she climbed down onto his lap, she heard the desk chair creak slightly under both their weight, she put her arms around his neck, "you need to relax a little, huh?" she asked.

             Remy looked up at her, "Chere, lets just…I dunno, run away from everything, change our names, our identities, me and you, start a new life…get away from this fucking shitty life we're in."

             Rogue looked at Remy, "you serious?"

             Remy looked away, "for once, I am," he reached up and stroked her hair away from her face, "as much as I love bein' an X-Man, and livin' here in the lap of luxury…I…I'm sick of the suspicions, I'm sick of the fear that one day Assassin's are gonna come and get me if they find out about Gabrielle…I'm sick of always doin' what I'm told but never gettin' a pat on the back or a gold star," he sighed, "I'm sick of people from my past comin' back to haunt me…and things I did and do that always end up disgracing my guild or family…" he looked at her, "but if I were to start a new life…I wouldn't be able to do it without you…Ma cherie."

             Rogue looked away, she stood up and walked over to the window, pulled the blinds apart and looked outside into the cold November night sky, "Remy…that's an insane proposition."

             "No…no it's not…I know people who can get us new identities…I got enough money to get us started, I've been saving up…and we can go where no one will find us, maybe a small village in Paris or…I don't know…somewhere else…" he watched her.  "I can get a proper job if that's what it takes…get us an apartment…pay rent, do what the normal people do…" he looked at her, "it might be tough for some time, but…if we got each other…"

             Rogue turned and looked towards him, she gave a laugh of disbelief, "and live in fear?  Pretendin' to be someone else, hidin' that we're mutants…moving away from our true friends…?" she looked at him.

             Remy looked down to the floor guiltily.

             "Remy…this…" she gestured to the room around them, "this building, this mansion, is our home…these people who took us in as one of their own, they are our family, and they accept us no matter what we do, they take us back no matter how much we screw up, and they help us when we're so low we can't do anything ourselves," she folded her arms stubbornly, "and you want to walk away from that all?  Remy, admit it, you've NEVER had it so good."

             Remy's eyes swayed slowly back up to her, then away again, "it was just a dream, Chere," he murmured, "maybe one I'll never get to live."

             Rogue walked back over to him, sitting back on his lap again, arms around his shoulders, "this IS a dream.  We're mutants, and we're outcasts, this is about as good as it gets for us…this is as good as it gets for anyone, there are people in foreign countries who don't have food or water who'll never have it good as WE have it," she looked at him. 

             Remy watched her, his eyes burning right into her, as much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right.  He tenderly put his arms around her, placing his hands on her back, "don't you ever want to get away from it all?" he asked, "start fresh?" he tried again.  He was hoping she would go with him, that maybe tonight they could be shot of everything and start new, a new beginning, and maybe this time everything would go right.

             Rogue paused for thought, she stroked the hair out of his face with her gloved fingers, and she affectionately brushed her fingers against the skin just above his left eyebrow, she looked into his eyes, she could see how completely stressed out he was, everything was getting to him.  She'd once thought nothing could bother him, and now everything seemed to.  He'd become so serious, and he'd always said it was the one thing he never wanted to be.  She couldn't understand though why he'd want to run now.  Were things getting too comfortable?  Was this because finally they'd taken the next step in their relationship and they couldn't turn back?  Or was there something he just wasn't telling her.

             Remy let out a sigh, his heart sinking, "you wouldn't go with me, would you."

             Rogue hated the answer, but she gave it, "no."

             Remy's eyes dropped to the floor, his lids heavy, "I see."

             "Remy, this is my home…" Rogue swallowed nervously, she was afraid this would be the start of another argument, "it's your home.  Don't start talking about new beginnings and starting fresh now, you did it already – when you came here you started a new life."

             Remy rubbed the crease forming between his eyebrows wearily, "I know."

             "What's brought this on?" Rogue asked.

             "I don't know, alright!  I just want to get away from the past," he got up, which ultimately meant she was knocked off of him, she almost fell but caught herself by grabbing onto the nearby desk.  "I can't sleep decent at night anymore, Chere!  All these fucking thoughts goin' through my head, wonderin' when the next thing is gonna happen that's gonna screw up my life – or the next thing that I'm gonna do that's gonna make me lose you forever!" he looked at her, "I get so distraught over everything that sometimes I find it difficult to breathe!"

             Rogue's eyes widened, she wondered if this was what a nervous breakdown looked like, for Remy had gone so pale, and wide eyed, and shaky that she was sure he'd take a panic attack just like the ones she'd taken before.   Her heart began to race with immediate concern.  

             The room seemed to grow even more tense, Remy's fists were clenched.

             Rogue swallowed her fear, she walked over to him, taking both his wrists in her hands, "I get that way all the time," she said sternly, "and whenever I do, you're the first to tell me to relax…to stop thinking about it, to let things go…" 

             Remy looked away from her as if he couldn't look into her eyes anymore, he felt that if he looked at her one more time he might break down completely, she'd just told him that if he left she'd never go with him, what did it say for love?  She'd once said she'd go anywhere for him, now she'd let him leave alone.

             "Nothing on earth is going to screw up your life unless you let it," Rogue looked at him, "and you're a fighter, you won't," she reminded sternly, she let go of his wrists and patted his chest in a firm, reassuring way, "and…you're not going to lose me forever," she promised.

             Remy pulled her in his arms and held her close, "god I think I'm cracking up," he lamented, his voice dry.

             Rogue held onto him tightly, "We all crack, sometimes, Remy, and we're all here for each other when we do," she closed her eyes, pressing her face into his chest.

             "Why would you not go with me?" he demanded softly.

             Rogue moved back, "do you really want to know?"

             Remy gave a vague nod, his eyes full of emotion.

             "Because if I left with you, I'd be forfeiting my chance to help make a difference to this world…and if I did that, I might never learn anything," she looked at him, "or learn how to control my powers…" she sighed, "I'm really…really tired, and its late."

             Remy looked at her, he realised she was right, if she left with him, she might never control them, and he didn't have the knowledge to help her cope with controlling her abilities.  "I…I understand," he murmured, softly, "I wouldn't blame you if you stayed."

             "But you're not leaving are you, Remy?"

             Remy gave a wan smile, "Nah."


	4. Chapter 4: Death

Chapter 4: Death

Rogue was dreaming.  Everything was dark and distant, and voices seemed to linger in her head, but very far off, as if echoes in a large bare room, so far away from her she could barely even hear them.  But despite she could not make out what the voices were saying, she could recognise bits and pieces of words…there were two voices – men's voices.  One was speaking in a very thick Southern drawl, it was Remy LeBeau, she recognised it instantly, the other voice…it took her moments to distinguish, was Jared, the British accent standing out against Remy's when he spoke.  Voices sounded angrier, yet words were not making sense.

             There was darkness all around herself, and she was confused, she felt around, nothing but air around herself, she could not even see her hands   She looked all around herself, hoping for some light, something distinguishable from the blackness swathed around her, but nothing.  

             She began to run frantically, she was suddenly aware that there wasn't even a floor she could run on, it was almost like walking on air, or perhaps walking on an inflatable mattress, she felt herself slightly bounce with each step

             Blurred visions began to pass by her, faces, there was Remy, his voice began to become clearer, "I wouldn't blame you if you stayed," His voice was soft, unhappy, his face faded into darkness.  Rogue reached out as if to grab it before he left.

             "Remy!"

             The voices in the distance now sounded closer, but the words were muffled, as if she were listening to them through walls almost.  Remy began to come into focus as she ran, he was standing, just as he had moments before she'd left him for the night.  He looked at her, his face flustered, "I get so distraught over everything that sometimes I find it difficult to breathe!" his voice echoed, he faded into the blackness like before, his voice fading with it.  

             Rogue wanted desperately to wake up from this dream.  Wake up, she told herself sternly, praying her eyes would open to the familiar four walls of her bedroom.  But she didn't.  Instead she travelled steadily through the darkness, the voices growing steadily louder, but still muffled.  And then a boom broke through the darkness.

             Rogue shot up from the bed when a loud boom shook the whole building.  At first she thought she'd been dreaming it, but the shaking left her so rattled inside, that she realised this could be no dream.  She glanced over in the semi-darkness, shafts of moonlight spilled in, lighting up Kitty Pryde, who, also jumped up, her ponytail bouncing over her head, she threw it back in a gasp.

             "What was that?" Kitty gasped, she sounded shaken.

             Rogue climbed out of bed, "I don't know…" she pushed her white streaks out of her face, looking around, the building was settled once again, but they both knew what they'd heard.  Rogue drew her breath and headed for the door, "c'mon…"

             Across the hallway from Kitty and Rogue's room, Jean Grey stumbled out of her room wide awake, hair flowing behind her as she ran up ahead.

             "Jean, you heard it too?" Rogue asked breathlessly as she ran behind Jean, Kitty in tow.

             "Yes," Jean breathed, they began to run down the stairwell leading into the second floor where the boys dorms were, "It came from Gambit's room."

             Rogue's eyes widened and she took off to the air, flying above Jean's head down the hallway.  The other boys from the dorm were coming through their bedroom doors in pyjamas and boxer shorts, rubbing their bleary eyes, staring at Remy's doorway – the door itself had caved backwards, Rogue landed on the floor near some debris that was on the carpet in the hallway, she peered into the threshold.  Half of the threshold and wall to Remy's room was missing, and as she peered into the room itself, she found that half of the wall between Remy's room and the bathroom was missing too, as well as the outside wall, meaning she was looking directly out into the back lawns.  Debris was everywhere, furniture scattered.  Dust billowed through the room, making everything slightly hazy, Rogue was surprised that the ceiling light was still working under the conditions, she watched it swing back and forth, it casting strange shadows across the room.

             "Looks like something caused an explosion…" Jean trailed off, standing near Rogue's side, she began to climb through the threshold, stepping over large chunks of wall and furniture that had been blown up.

             Logan came rushing through the threshold, he looked tired, and confused, his hair sticking to one side, his bed clothes severely wrinkle.  He pushed Rogue slightly aside to get past, "what happened?!"  
             "We don't know…" Kitty admitted, she phased her way through the rubble, "we just heard this loud boom…and then came down and it was all like this…" she glanced up, seeing some dust fall from the ceiling, is it even safe to be in here?"

             Rogue frowned a little, "nothing is on fire…this isn't any normal kind of explosion…this is a kinetic explosion…" she looked around frantically, "where's Remy though?"

             Jean put her hands to her temples, "He's not in this vicinity," she said, "I can't sense him at all…" she said.  She moved around slowly, looking carefully around.  She could barely believe there was so much debris from the explosion.

             "Maybe he's unconscious…" Kitty suggested quickly, she sincerely hoped that their friend and team-mate had not been caught in the explosion itself.

             Rogue rushed over to the hole in the wall and gazed out, more debris had piled up outside, no sign of Remy LeBeau though.

             "No, I'd still sense him," Jean assured, "he may have escaped…or died…otherwise I would sense him."

             "He's not dead!" Rogue cried at Jean, "he has to be here!  He just has to be…" she began to pull up large chunks of rubble, it was everywhere, she forced her back into it, her superhuman strength making easy work of it, there was a large pile of debris and scattered furniture near the corner against what was left of the remaining wall.  He mattress of the bed was lying askew, the wooden frame had been exploded in half, propped half against the wall and the other half in the pile in the corner.

             Logan stood sniffing the air, "I'm pickin' up two scents in here…" he said, "two recent ones…Gambit…and—"

             "JARED!" Rogue squealed, she raised a very large piece of the wall that had collapsed, underneath it was the crushed body of Jared Rickman, a very large bleeding head wound near his unruly and uncombed bright blue hair, his mouth hanging open to an odd angle.  His arm hung at an odd angle as if broken, he was unmoving, lifeless.  Rogue tossed the large chunk of debris out of the hole in the wall, and began to pull the other pieces of rubble to uncover him from it, then and fell to her knees besides Jared when he was finally free of all the wreckage, "Jean, help me…"

             Jean slowly knelt down, "I'm not sensing anything from him…" she murmured, she reached and picked up Jared's wrist, which under most circumstances would have been impossible, her hand should have gone right through him.  Instead, nothing happened.

             "His powers…" Rogue whispered, she pressed her fist to her mouth in horror.

             "No pulse…" Jean felt for a pulse, she checked his wrist, then his neck, "No breathing…" she listened for breathing, for a heartbeat, "no heartbeat…nothing…He's dead…"

             "No!  He can't be!" Rogue gaped, tears filling her eyes, "can't you bring him back to life, can't you resuscitate him?!"

             "This is a severe head wound," Jean gestured, "nothing can be done for this…he must have died instantly…" she chewed her lip.

             Rogue broke down into tears, "no…" she whispered, she turned away, she couldn't look anymore.

             Hank McCoy came rushing through, "I came as soon as Jean telepathically sent for me," he puffed and panted, "clear the way, get everyone out of here," he ordered, "Kitty, get Rogue out of here," Hank looked down at Jared's dead body, "NOW!" he commanded.

             Kitty pulled Rogue to her feet, "c'mon," she pulled.

             "No!" Rogue screamed, "I need to find Remy!"

             "We'll find Remy," Logan assured, "Get out of here!"

             Rogue allowed herself to be pulled out of the room, still grief-stricken and hysterical, "He can't be…he just can't be, Kitty!" she sobbed, falling to the floor in the hall.

             Kitty pulled Rogue back up, "Calm down."

             "CALM DOWN!?!" Rogue bellowed emotionally, "My boyfriend has just fucking died!"

             "Ex-Boyfriend!" Kitty reminded, he herself could find no sympathy, the boy had nearly killed her, why should she mourn his death?  "The one who numerously tried to push you into a relationship with him, the one who hurt you, the one who abandoned you after nearly killing me!  Do you really think he's worth crying over!?"

             Rogue put her hands over her eyes, "I still cared for him!"

             Kitty frowned, "what the fuck was he doing here anyway!?" she asked of herself, "how the fuck did he get in?" Rogue tried to head back to Remy's room again, Kitty grabbed a hold of her and stopped her, "no!" Kitty frowned.

             Rogue looked at her, "you can't stop me from seeing him!"

             "Rogue, that boys brains were showing, do you really want to see him like that again!?" Kitty asked, "as if you're not disturbed enough you want to cry over his dead bleeding body!  We can't help him now, no one can," she assured, "c'mon, me and you will go down to the war room and see if we can track Remy on the security cameras…"

             "I want to know what happened, Kitty!" Rogue stared back down the hall, towards where the unhinged door was now lying at an odd angle on the floor, "I want to know why Jared was here, and I want to know what caused that explosion…"  
             Kitty didn't want to admit it, but she knew what had, only one thing could have caused such an explosion without there being any burning or fire damage to the room.  Remy LeBeau's kinetic energy.  What could he have charged up to throw such a massive explosion though?  The whole room had been left in wreckage, Kitty knew Remy's powers were alarmingly impressive and yet she couldn't have pictured him managing to leave this much damage, this was more damage than he'd even caused in the nightclub the night he'd tried to kill Rogue's rapist.  

             This time reminded Kitty of that, what if this had been deliberate.  "Rogue…" Kitty asked, she began to lead Rogue down the hall, she wanted to go to the war room to hopefully trace Remy and get everything under control, "did Remy hate Jared enough to want to kill him…"

             Rogue gaped, "what?!"

             "Well…look at it, doesn't it remind you of the nightclub?  When he tried to kill the guy who…who…"  
             "Remy isn't a murderer!"

             Kitty looked back down the hall, "Remy is my friend too, Rogue, but do we know him well enough to know he wasn't capable of just flipping out and wanting to hurt someone bad enough he'd actually do it?"

             Rogue frowned, "Don't call him a killer."

             "I'm not, its just a hypothesis…but there might be a logical explanation…" 

             Rogue hugged herself, tears still streaming down her face, she could barely believe Jared was dead, and even more, she couldn't believe that Kitty would want to hypothesise that Remy had murdered him.  It was just impossible. 

             "Look, we'll have the answer soon enough, right?" Kitty asked, "if we look at the security tapes, we should be able to get a rough idea of what happened…cameras face off that way, they might have seen something."            

             Rogue sighed, "alright…"


	5. Chapter 5: To Say Goodbye

Chapter 5: To Say Goodbye

             Rogue watched the videos over and over hoping there would be some sign of life in them, something that would indicate how Jared got in, but she herself found nothing.  She stationed herself at one monitor watching in fast motion time drone by, Kitty was stationed nearby at another monitor, she looked half asleep.

             Rogue could still not deal with the fact that Jared was dead.  It seemed only hours earlier she'd been talking about him to Remy, and now here she was at 3am mourning the young mans death – a tragic death, one full of confusion.  How could he have died this way?  How did it happen?

             Rogue was beginning to fear what Kitty had said might be true, was it possible Remy had murdered the boy?  And if so…why?  How had Jared gotten in, and why had he come back – and why hadn't he come to find her?  What had he been doing in Remy's room?

             Rogue had run out of tears and sobs, and she could feel herself wanting to slip into sleep, exhaustion still settled.  She had not caught up on her sleep yet, and now she'd never felt so tired in her life – but she felt even more determined to keep herself awake, at least until she had answers.

             "I think I found something," Kitty said, her voice low, eyes locked on a screen, "here, look…the camera right at the gate, 1.42am precisely, Jared waltzed right in…" she tapped a long fingernail on the screen where a figure looking uncannily like Jared Rickman walked in.

             "Looks like he still had access to get in…" Kitty admitted, "damn…he just wandered right in and none of us knew…" she said.

             Rogue leaned over, watching the recording, Jared was walking up towards the mansion in a very casual way, almost as if he had never left in the first place, Rogue couldn't explain the chills she felt up her spine.  Maybe it was because she was watching what might be the last few moments of Jared's short life.  She shivered and hugged herself.  "What was he doing here?" she whispered.

             Rogue got up and paced, "Where did Remy go…I mean why leave…"

             "I don't know…" Kitty sighed, "Maybe he was scared and high tailed it…or maybe he did die…maybe he's under the rubble…"

             "No…" Rogue shook her head, "I know how crafty Remy is, he had to have gotten out of there…he just had to."

             Kitty wondered if maybe Rogue was in denial…it could have been possible that Remy hadn't survived, she just didn't want to admit it.  For all the both of them knew, Remy could still be buried under the rubble right now, dead.  "What if he didn't though…"

             "No, I refuse to believe that," Rogue stopped pacing, she ran her hand through her hair absently, "We need to get into our uniforms, take the black bird and do a search, maybe we can lock cerebro onto his mutant signature…"  
             "I'm afraid that would be impossible…"

             Rogue and Kitty turned towards the door, Professor Xavier had entered the room, one hand on the control of his electric wheelchair, "Professor…it can't be impossible…"

             "I'm afraid it is," Professor Xavier sighed, he looked as tired as Rogue felt.  "I've checked on cerebro – I cannot trace Gambit until he uses his powers…and even if he was using his powers, Rogue, I doubt cerebro would pick up on it, it has ever only managed to pick up very weak signals from Remy most recently…"

             "Why?!  It always works with everyone else…" Rogue frowned angrily.

             "Except from yourself and Remy," Professor Xavier stated, "something I've come to realise is that whenever you use your powers, cerebro never seems to pick up on it the way it used to – which suggests that something you and Remy have done is preventing Cerebro from sensing you…even if Remy did show on cerebro the signal wouldn't be strong enough to trace…"

             "Wait a minute, it doesn't pick Rogue up at all?" Kitty asked, she rested her arm on the back of her chair, her blue eyes curious, "Isn't that a bit strange?"

             Professor Xavier looked at Kitty, "what are you getting at?" he asked of her, he seemed too tired to understand what it was she was trying to say.

             "Well…" Kitty paused for thought, "they've both used MutantX before…" Kitty explained, "Rogue used it ages ago, remember?  And then last Christmas…Rogue and Remy were being held prisoner…Remy's ex-girlfriend used MutantX to stop them using their powers…" Kitty explained, "Rogue has used A LOT more of it than Remy has.  What if there's something in it that changes one of the genes permanently?" she asked.

             Professor Xavier seemed suddenly concerned, "this is a possibility."

             Rogue looked at him, "can we stop making theories about this for now?  Remy is still out there – god knows where, and we need to find him!" she said shrilly.

             "Rogue, you are exhausted, and grieving, you're in no fit state to go looking for Remy, right now," Professor Xavier stated, "leave the search up to us, if he is out there somewhere, we shall find him."

             Kitty yawned a little, "what can we do while you guys are out searching?"

             "I would advise to get some sleep," Professor Xavier stated.

             "Get some sleep?  I can't sleep with all that's happened, I need to know what's going on, I need to talk to Remy and get answers, Professor!" Rogue gaped.

             Kitty looked at Rogue, "Rogue, you've missed like a whole nights sleep somewhere along the lines, you need to catch up on it, you're already a wreck."

             Rogue sighed, "please…let me go look for him…"

             "No, I can't allow that," Professor Xavier said, "stay here, and wait for our return, if you don't sleep, it is your choice, but do not leave the mansion," he said sternly, then turned, and left.  

             Rogue frowned, "I'm gonna search Remy's room," she sighed, she waited a few minutes until the professor had left before speaking, she headed towards the door and looked down the hallway, moments later, she heard the take off of the blackbird Jet.  She chose this moment to rush to the elevator, Kitty followed curtly.

             They soon approached Remy's room, climbing and stepping over the rubble of the destroyed bedroom, Kitty trying desperately to avoid stepping on broken glass from the blown up window, she phased herself through what she could.  The two girls searched thoroughly finding no sign of Remy, or what might have possibly happened.  There were no signs of a struggle, because the explosion seemed to have hidden all traces of any clues that might have given them some indication of what had caused the incident.

             "Nothing…" Rogue whispered, she reached over to pull the closet door open, and jumped back as it fell, having obviously been affected by the impact, the hinges mangled.  She glanced in, everything seemed in place just as it should have been, nothing was gone.  She headed over to the bedside cabinet which was sitting on its side, the drawers askew, the contents scattered across the carpet, Rogue reached down, picking up a few playing cards, none of them seemed to have been the culprit of the explosion, since all were perfectly intact.  

             "He didn't use cards…" Kitty said, "I've looked too, I don't see any signs of a proper fight, none of his weapons are around though…were does he keep his long stick thing?"

             "It's called a bo-staff," Rogue retorted in a haughty tone, "and he keeps it in the pocket of his coat," Rogue admitted, "I saw it hanging on the back of the chair earlier, its not there now though…" she looked around, "where he's gone…he's taken it with him…"

             Kitty looked around, "this seems so weird…"

             Rogue looked around, suddenly realising that it didn't seem at all strange to her, "I…he…" her voice faltered, "He was talkin' about taking off, wanting to leave…start fresh," she whispered, "Kitty…he wouldn't have…he couldn't have…" she shook her head.

             "He'd have never gone without you," Kitty stated firmly, "c'mon, he's infatuated, why would he leave you?"

             Rogue drew her breath, "He was upset…he thought he was cracking up, Kitty…oh my god what if he did, what if he did kill Jared…what if he is a murderer," Rogue put her hands to her mouth in extreme horror.  Her dark green eyes widening.  "Oh my god…" she whispered, "what if he did…"

             "Calm down, don't start getting all dramatic," Kitty said, "Maybe it was stupid of me to make an assumption like that, come on, Remy?  A killer?  He couldn't kill time," Kitty joked, but it didn't gain a laugh from Rogue.   Kitty paused for thought, "come on, Rogue, Remy can be a little unhinged at times, sure, but the most he could do to anyone is maim them, I doubt he'd just kill some dude in cold blood, even if it was Jared…"

             "He almost killed that guy in the nightclub!" Rogue yelled.

             "He was on EDGE!  He had just lost a baby, and then you got raped, what did you expect him to do, just quietly sit by and let it go?" Kitty pointed out.

             Rubbed her forehead, a very sharp persistent pain beginning to grow just between her eyebrows, "god, this can't be happening, it can't be happening…why is he doing this…why didn't he come to me, why did he just leave…"

             Kitty sighed, "do you think he'll come back?"

             "I can't stand around here and wait to find out," Rogue said, she left the room and headed up to her own bedroom to get some clothes on.

             "Where are you gonna go?!" Kitty followed at a quick pace.

             "To look for him…there's one place I think he might be…" Rogue sighed, "I just hope I'm right," she sighed, "If he was going to high tail it for good, and start a new life…I think he'd have one last stop to make before he did," she yanked off her Pyjama top and pulled on a thick sweater, pulling her hair quickly out of the collar.

             "Where?" Kitty asked curiously.

             Rogue took a deep breath and pulled some black jeans – ripped at the knee – over her pyjama shorts, "to say goodbye to Gabrielle."


	6. Chapter 6: Never Feel

Chapter 6: Never Feel

             The icy bitter November wind stung Rogue's and Kitty's faces as Rogue flew them both across Bayville towards Bayville cemetery where Gabrielle LeBeau was buried.  Kitty Pryde had insisted on coming along with Rogue, saying it was too late at night to go scouting around in cemeteries by herself. 

             They landed roughly just inside of the gates, looking around, Rogue could barely remember where Gabrielle was buried.  "I…don't remember where the grave is," Rogue sighed as she let go of Kitty under the arms, where she'd been holding her.

             "Oh great," Kitty chattered, it was so cold out, now it was three-forty-five am in the morning, and the winds had picked up outside.  The cold was biting making their exposed skin smart like raw wounds.  

             Rogue pulled a flashlight out of her pocket and turned it on, shining it across the gravestones one by one, "we're looking for a small marble one," she said.

             Kitty nodded, walking beside Rogue, "y'know…Cemeteries give me the heebie jeebies," she whispered, shivering, she pulled a flashlight out of her own pocket, tried turning it on but it didn't go on straight away, she tapped it furiously, "ugh, stupid thing," she muttered, a beam of light cut across the dark grass before them, she swung the flashlight in the directions of nearby graves, catching a large stone angel in the beam, she jumped, for one moment, thinking it was a person.

             "Will you relax?!" Rogue hissed, but she too, felt about as nervous as Kitty did.  She'd certainly never been in a cemetery after midnight in such cold conditions.  She wasn't sure if the cold feeling she had inside was fear or just the November chills at the back of her neck.  She pressed on.

             Kitty grabbed onto Rogue's arm just for confirmation that her friend was there, she held on to her, as they walked.  They listened closely, the rustling of the long grass was loud in the wind, and a few flecks or rain spattered down on them from above.

             "Remy!" Rogue called out, looking around hopefully.

             "You can't shout in a cemetery!" Kitty hissed, "its disrespectful!"

             "Shut up!" Rogue rolled her eyes, "they're dead, they won't mind…" she cut across the dark with her flashlight, "god, where is this fucking grave…I've been here before I should know…"  
             A flash of brown cut in front of the flashlight and Rogue let out a shriek, the sound of flapping wings beat against the air, both girls jumped and grabbed onto each other.

             "Its an owl…" Kitty was gasping for breath, "Just an owl…" she took a deep breath, "jesus…I nearly had a heart attack…" she swallowed.

             "Come on, Remy, where are you?!" Rogue called out to the empty graveyard, "We know you're here…you wouldn't leave without sayin' good bye to Gabrielle…" 

             Kitty found it strange that Rogue was talking to the graveyard when there was absolutely no evidence of Remy's presence there at all.

             "Whatever happened in your bedroom, Remy, we just want to know the answer, we're not here to blame you, we just want to know!" Rogue called out softly, looking around, she hoped for an answer, she hoped to smell the familiar smell of smoke from his cigarette, or the scent of faded cologne from his coat.  She hoped to hear his soft breathing, or see the fiery glint in those glowing red eyes of his.

             "I don't think he's here, Rogue," Kitty admitted, she still held onto Rogue's arm, she almost tripped over a headstone and let out a gasp, she looked down, "stupid fucking headstones!" Kitty gasped, her toe stubbed against it and hurt painfully.

             "Sssh, you'll disrespect the dead," Rogue remarked, her voice strange, "I think we're close by now…" Rogue glanced over her shoulder, she could see the gates away back there, and she remembered having been able to see Remy from the other side of the gates when he'd been in here visiting Gabrielle on their date.

             Kitty shone her light onto a small marble headstone, "is that it?" she asked softly.

             Rogue bent down towards the gravestone, "Yes…" she whispered, the name Gabrielle LeBeau was engraved in flourished letters, she reached over and touched the headstone, even through her thin cotton gloves she could feel the cold of the marble.  It chilled her. 

             Kitty looked around, "Well…no sign of Remy," she shone the flashlight around hoping to see some sign of the young man, but there was no one around except themselves.

             Rogue knelt down beside the gravestone, "I was so sure he'd come here…" she felt tears pierce her eyes.  

             Kitty shone her flashlight on the headstone, studying it, "hmm…looks like he knew you'd know that too…" she reached over to it and picked up an object that had been lying on the grass just in front of it, it had been in the shadow until the light had hit it, Rogue had not noticed it sitting there.

             Rogue looked at Kitty, "what is it?" she asked curiously.

             Kitty held the small flashlight between her teeth, "it's a box," she said, muffled.

             "Open it…" Rogue whispered, she held the flashlight towards Kitty's hands.

             Kitty opened the small velvet box, inside was a silver ring, with a Citrine gemstone directly in the centre, "it's a ring…a mans ring…" she took it out of the box and examined it.  It looked almost brand new, as if it had hardly been worn, or perhaps never having been worn at all.  The box even seemed to look new.

             "Oh my god…" the tears broke free of Rogue's eyes as she recognised it at once, it was the ring she'd given Remy on their date, the yellow Gemstone, the Citrine was his birthstone.  Although it had been a birthday present, Rogue had wanted the ring to be almost like a commitment ring, something he could wear that showed his dedication to her.  And here it was, sitting in Kitty Pryde's open palm, "I gave him that for his birthday," she whispered, she took the ring from Kitty, "He…he left it here…"

             Kitty tried to find an explanation, "Maybe he didn't leave it, maybe he dropped it…"

             "No, he had put it on – he's taken it off and put it back in the box!" Rogue wailed, tears pouring, "don't you know what this means!?!"  she asked.

             "No…" Kitty looked at Rogue curiously.

             "It means he's never coming back!  He gave me my gift back!  It's like you said when you give an important gift back to someone its over!" Rogue tried to wipe her tears furiously.

             "Oh come on, I doubt he's gone for good, he loves you!" Kitty said.

             Rogue looked at the ring, but soon found herself staring into space, "this means he did murder Jared, Kitty…he wouldn't have left if he hadn't…he's going on the run…" she whispered, "it's the only reason he'd have to go…without me…"

             Kitty swallowed, it was almost so hard to believe that Remy could kill someone, but for him to just abandon Rogue in this way was even harder to believe, after all the effort he'd put in to get Rogue back, only to run off now?  

             Rogue collapsed against the headstone in tears, "How could he?" she sobbed.

             "Maybe it was an accident."

             "If it was he'd have stayed to try and explain," Rogue threw the ring into a patch of grass where it would be lost forever, "Remy, you fool…" she sobbed, "You stupid fucking asshole," she sobbed.

             Kitty stood watching Rogue for a time, "C'mon…lets go home…"

             Rogue looked around the silent cemetery – silent that was except for the sound of the grass rustling in the wind, and the wind howling through the headstones in a melancholy sad wail.  

             It took some time for Rogue to pull herself together and fly them both back to the mansion, Professor Xavier was waiting for them in the Foyer when they arrived.

             "Uhm…we can explain," Kitty said.  Both girls had hoped the Professor would have not been back by the time they had arrived, but it seemed their luck was out.  Professor Xavier looked grim.

             "No we can't," Rogue said, "I made her go…I wanted to go to look for Remy…" she looked away, her cheeks still stained with tears.  "but he's gone."

             "We all realise this, Rogue," Professor Xavier sighed, "it appears as if Remy may be responsible for Jared's death…" 

             Rogue felt cold all over hearing those words, and it wasn't just hearing them that left her icy inside, but the fact that she no longer had the want to defend Remy.  She looked towards the floor, knowing that everything really was over.  Remy wasn't coming back this time.  He'd committed murder.  The reason why, perhaps because he'd harmed Rogue, or maybe Jared had just gotten on his bad side, they might never know for sure.  All they knew was, the explosion had to have been caused by Remy, and Remy really didn't accidentally cause explosions – unless you counted the one in the tunnels the previous month.

             "He did," she sighed, "He talked about killing Jared once before…when he hurt Kitty…but none of us took him seriously…" Rogue chewed her lip, a stray tear escaped and she wiped it away just as quickly as it came.

             Professor Xavier sighed, "then I must call to get the police involved, Rogue.  Are you willing to make an official statement to what Remy said about killing Jared?" Professor Xavier seemed extremely upset, the fact of having just lost a student to death finally sinking in.

             Rogue gave a vague nod, her bottom lip trembling.

             Kitty touched Rogue's arm, "You sure you want to do that…we don't even have any proof, Rogue…he said he'd kill him, but you say stupid things like that all the time," she reminded.

             "Is Jared's dead body not proof enough, is the ring he left in the cemetery not proof enough?" Rogue swallowed her tears, "he killed Jared, Kitty."

             Kitty looked at Rogue, only hours ago Rogue had been defending Remy to this accusation, and now she herself was making it, it didn't seem right.

             Rogue wandered over to the window and looked outside, memories of Remy and all he'd brought to her life searing in and out of her painfully, this time she didn't allow herself the luxury of tears.  She hardened herself to it and any thoughts of him.  Telling herself she'd never feel for him again.

The End (Yes, Really.  The series is ending…now.)


End file.
